During my annual leave from 17 Dec 2012 - 2 Jan 2013, aside from falling sick, I managed to complete the following animes. Not too bad if I have to say so myself. *grins*

MUV-LUV ALTERNATIVE TOTAL ECLIPSETotal : 24+1 (recap) episodes

It all started as a visual novel aka interactive fiction game which then resulted in some spin-offs or sequels. Anyway, Earth has been invaded by aliens called BETA, who chomp humans as a snack, and mankind attempts to defeat them or risk extinction. Muv-Luv Alternative Total Eclipse is about the trials (& tribulations??) of a group of Tactical Surface Fighters test pilots. TSFs (think mecha-tech) are weapons developed by mankind fight against BETAs.

Typical mankind vs alien warfare but it boasts excellent graphics and the soundtrack rocks. There is action, gore and romance and I liked the fact that it did not turn out to be a sappy, love story.The beginning of the series already had me at the edge of my seat with anxiety and frustration. This production managed to keep me interested all the way to the end which I must say is a feat by itself.

Sword Art OnlineTotal : 25 episodes

This tells of players who are trapped in the world of virtual reality when they logged on to a Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG) called Sword Art Online but found that they could not log out unless they clear the final stage. I had my reservations with this but after the 2nd or 3rd episode, I was hooked. It was delightfully easy to watch and very, very entertaining.

Of course it helped that the male protagonist, Kirito is drawn so adorably cute (he's 16, if memory serves me correct).

KTotal : 13 episodes

I'm kinda undecided about this one. I had difficulty getting into this anime, partly because the storyline in the beginning was really confusing. I was struggling to keep up with it but I persevered due to one awesome character in this anime - Suou Mikoto aka The Red King. This is one uber cool dude. I'm 50 - 50 with the ending though. I'd say it's a meh ending yet totally appropriate. Hence what I meant by undecided. LOL!!

But one thing for sure is, the soundtrack (as in the music played throughout the anime, not the OP or ED) is excellent!!

HyoukaTotal : 22 episodes

I like this anime just because it is beautifully drawn, and the storyline is very simple. It's a story of a boy, Oreki Houtarou, who joins the Classic Literature Club at the start of his high school years, as a favour for his sister who was a former member, as the club is at risk of being abolished if it has no new members.

Oreki's motto in life is to use the least effort to complete his tasks which he coins as energy-saving. This anime depicts how he changes little by little as he interacts with the rest of the club members. Despite being in the Classics Literature Club, Oreki and the club members are always solving little puzzles that they come across during school. Do note that there is no major action or mystery but nonetheless, it's a nice anime and worth watching if you have the time to spare.

Say I Love YouTotal : 13 episodes

This is originally a manga (which is ongoing) and made into an anime. It tells of a loner, Mei, who keeps to herself in school, and how the most popular boy in school, Yamato, becomes interested in her. During this time, Yamato slowly drags Mei out of her shell and she starts making friends and falls for him as well.

This is a sappy love story but one I enjoyed a lot. It's just so cute how Mei & Yamato's love blossom. He He He....